Thursday, April 9, 2009

Danger, Dr Danfield (OTRR Certified)

.Danger, Dr Danfield was first broadcast on August 18, 1946 and consisted of 26 episodes with the last one being April 13, 1947. All episodes are available. It starred Michael Dunn as Dr. Danfield, with JoAnne Johnson as Rusty Fairfax, his secretary. The series was written by Ralph Wilkinson and produced by Wally Ramsey.

This series consistently featured some of the worst acting and writing of any detective show to reach the airwaves. The show had a formula with the crime usually being committed in the first third of the program, the good doctor solving it in the second third, and then pedantically explaining the solution to someone (usually his "pretty, young" secretary, Rusty) in the conclusion.

Dr. Daniel Danfield was an obnoxious unlicensed private investigator/criminal psychologist with an ego complex. Why Rusty would put up with this guy is beyond understanding. In this case, love is not only blind, but also deaf and dumb. But then, Rusty was no prize package either. In fact, the most complex person on the show is Dr. Dan Danfield's pretty young secretary, Miss Rusty Fairfax.

Why does Dr. Dan always call her Miss Fairfax? Dr. Dan goes to extremes to keep her at arm's length, but it's obvious he's just taunting her. After all, he's a criminal psychologist, and the way he treats Rusty is criminal! She can flare up, but usually just slow simmers in her professionally feminine way. Too bad one of the bad guys wasn't able to rub both of them out but these crooks were incredibly inept.

Unfortunately, the toughs, society-types in trouble and the necessary law enforcement officers in this series, are nearly as individual as furniture in a model home.

Still, if mindless detective drama is what you're looking for and you've tried the rest, then let Dr. Dan Danfield give you a little of a criminal psychologist's caseload. The show makes good drive-time or casual listening, since it doesn't make great demands on the emotions or intellect.
(From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group)